ANGKOR WAT

In all fairness to the work that feeds me and finances every single roll of this out-of-the-ordinary hobby, it is not the one to blame for the lack of posts here in my blog for the past week. Workload has been fairly light actually, it was just that I had something that needed focus, a new endeavor that I am trying to figure out for myself. Adding to this self-made pressure is the paralysis I face every time I try to sit myself down to write something about my recent travel experience.

And why would I not feel such? Cambodia speaks to the heart that even I could not transcribe.

Arrived to Siem Reap close to midnight, I was quickly embraced by the cold wind the moment I got off the plane. The transport from the airport to the hotel by a tuk-tuk was memorable. There is nothing like that first few minutes of breathing air from a place you have never been before. After settling to the hotel and a few hours of sleep, a new and exciting day awaited to be discovered!

First order of business: Sunrise at the Angkor Wat. And more.

I drank every moment and detail of everything in sight. The walls, bars, steps, carvings, I touched and held them in my hands every chance I had, in fear of losing the reality that I am enveloped by all this wonder.

LET THE LIGHT IN

HOLGA IN BORACAY

The cold months are over. The usual cool breeze in the morning has gradually been replaced by little beads of sweat in my forehead. Summer is not officially back, I suppose, but we definitely feel it is returning early this year here.

I suddenly remembered my Holga shots this morning, for no reason at all. It just magically popped up in my head and what's more obvious to do but revisit them. Coincidentally, majority of my poorly-set shots are from the beach in Boracay, Aklan two years ago, very much giving off the vibe of summer.

Clearly, I didn't know what I was doing with the camera at that time. But imagine my excitement when I saw these shots and knew I got something out of the roll, no matter how blurred they are.

Oh, and before I forget. Boracay, you are missed.

BLACK AND WHITE

My black and white film scans arrived yesterday, and it was as if someone actually lit my face up when the package was handed to me. Yes, a moment of unadulterated joy! It brought me back to the time when I got my first roll developed. There is always a level of excitement, surprise and anxiety whenever I get my film scans back, but this time it was amplified by half as much because I have never shot a black and white film. Everything seemed new again.

Sending the rolls to the lab was a tragedy in itself (haha) because my go-to lab does not accept traditional black and white processing. To cut the story short, I got myself lost in the middle of a city that I know nothing about just because I missed that one jeepney stop. A supposedly 15-minute errand ended up being an hour and a half. And like sprinkling salt on an open wound, the price of having them processed and scanned was so unexpected, I had to question myself on why am still enjoying this affair with film. 240 pesos for a roll. That's five dollars each. And because I didn't want to go through the whole ordeal of getting lost again, I had them delivered to me instead of the usual pick-up. So that's another 90 pesos.

But all of these complaints went up in the smoke when I saw and browsed them frame by frame. I wanted to hug the monitor, or the film scans themselves! Of course my shots were not perfect (expected because I had no light meter), but I think black and white film is very forgiving when it comes to exposure. I love it. I love them all.

One day this week, I will find a time to sit down and carefully tell tales of my Cambodia and short Thailand trips before the vividness starts to escape my funny memory.

PENSIVE

Bought a pack of Kodak Ultima 100 last month, and although I almost always prefer warmth on my photos, I am enjoying this light blue tone as well. They sort of feel mute and gloomy, in a pensive kind of way.